When it comes to the environment, overpopulation is the elephant in the room. It doesn’t matter how much we recycle, buy hybrid cars, or install solar panels on our rooftops—without addressing our swelling population and its impact on a limited stash of resources, we’re, well, screwed.
Now comes proof of just how much good we could do by controlling our populace: A recently-released study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that if we slowed global population, we could cut emissions an incredible 16 to 29 percent by 2050 and even more steeply by the end of the century.
So why, despite the mounting evidence, do we continue to sidestep the issue of overpopulation? There are several reasons, the most basic being that it’s a tricky topic to broach. In a recent Mother Jones article, Julia Whitty reported that the carbon legacy of one American child and her offspring is 20 times greater than every other sustainable maternal choice combined. The problem is, those other sustainable choices are a lot less personal, and so are much easier to preach about. (Put another way: “Don’t have kids!” is a tough sell).
The controversial issue of family planning also comes into play. In a recent post, Change.org blogger Ben Broffer shared that almost 40 percent of pregnancies worldwide are unplanned, and 123 million women have an unmet need for family planning. But the best tools at our disposal to combat this—legalizing abortion and making contraceptives widely available—are two of the thorniest social, political and religious issues around.
Spicy tuna rolls may taste delicious, but the flavorful sushi treats create some pretty massive environmental destruction. Atlantic bluefin tuna are
Looking for some cupcakes or cookies with rainbow frosting on them, to celebrate National Coming Out Day? Don’t head to Just Cookies in Indianapolis. The bakery, inside Indianapolis’ City Market, refused to accept an order from a gay student group at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Why?
With a name like Goodwin, how can Liu lose?
Has a federal judge struck the final blow against the military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers, or will an appeal and an opposed Senate mean it will linger, perhaps for years?
When it comes to the issue of marriage equality, 2010 is going to be an important election, particularly on the state level where a number of states may move forward marriage equality legislation depending on who is elected into office.
To put it bluntly, one of the only things Americans need less than gun deregulation is another hole in the head. Thanks to House Democrats, we may receive more of both.